Published: Friday, January 18, 2008
Judge frees Navy to use sonar off coast
LOS ANGELES -- A federal judge on Thursday temporarily lifted some restrictions on the Navy's use of high-power sonar during training exercises near Southern California after President Bush got involved in the case.
The order allows the Navy to continue sonar use when whales or other mammals are spotted within 2,200 yards, and its ships do not have to reduce power during conditions when temperatures cause sound to travel farther than it would otherwise.
The Navy still must maintain a 12-nautical-mile, no-sonar zone along the coast as part of a preliminary injunction issued earlier this month when U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that using mid-frequency active sonar violated the Coastal Zone Management Act.
"We are pleased with the District Court's decision," said Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman. "This ruling means that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will be able to start the exercise next week without two restrictions that threatened the realism of our training."
The order allows the Navy to continue sonar use when whales or other mammals are spotted within 2,200 yards, and its ships do not have to reduce power during conditions when temperatures cause sound to travel farther than it would otherwise.
The Navy still must maintain a 12-nautical-mile, no-sonar zone along the coast as part of a preliminary injunction issued earlier this month when U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper ruled that using mid-frequency active sonar violated the Coastal Zone Management Act.
"We are pleased with the District Court's decision," said Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Navy spokesman. "This ruling means that the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group will be able to start the exercise next week without two restrictions that threatened the realism of our training."
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